National commentary: The changing face of the American family

6:49 PM,
Nov. 27, 2012

Written by

Steve and Cokie Roberts
Commentary

The American family is changing rapidly, and so are attitudes about same-sex marriage. In the last election, three states voted to approve the institution (Maryland, Maine and Washington), and one, Minnesota, rejected a move to ban it. The focus on Barack Obama's re-election, and the attention paid to the critical Latino vote, obscured this historic milestone.

For the first time, after more than 30 failed tries, gay marriage was approved by statewide vote. (Until now, it took court decisions or legislative action to enact the laws.) That means same-sex unions are now legal in nine states ...